SAND PRODUCTION POTENTIAL NEAR INCLINED

PERFORATED WELLBORES

Y. WANG M.B. DUSSEAULT

this article begins on the next page F

THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY PAPER 96-70 Sand Production Potential Near Inclined Perforated Wellbores Y. Wang Petro-
Geotech Inc. M.B. Dusseault University of Waterloo This paper is to be presented at the 47th Annual Technical Meeting of The Petroleum Society in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 10 ~ 12, 1996. Discussion of this paper is invited and may be presented at the meeting if filed in writing with the technical program chairman prior
to the conclusion of the meeting. This paper and any discussion filed will be considered for publication in CIM journals. Publication rights are reserved. This is a pre-print and is subject to correction. Abstract maximum production, along with sand management. Aspects of optimization and risk enter into both cases. To achieve an Correct choice of
perforation orientation in wells can either economic completions strategy compatible with production reduce risk of sanding initiation, or increase the possibility of rates, one must understand the mechanisms involved, carry out massive sand production. This article presents a simplified analyses which capture the key factors which contribute to approach to this evualuation procedure, based on stresses induced solids and fluids production, and come up with
acceptable around perforation cavities in a cased wellbore. The effect of engineering solutions. perforation orientation is shown to be a first-order component; therefore, along with other factors such as draw-down rate and Smith (1988) discussed possible mechanisms involved in charge size and density, such a procedure should be massive solids production, focusing on the fluid flow aspects. incorporated into sanding evaluation.
Dusseault and Santarelli (1989) also addressed the mechanisms involved in massive continuous solids production, focusing on Introduction geomechanical aspects. This work has recently been approximately quantified, based on the concept of stress- and Solids production is a negative
aspect of high-rate oil or gas flow-induced liquefaction of the unconsolidated sand fabric production from weak reservoir rocks. By contrast, massive (Geilikman et al., 1994; 1995). To confirm these models and solids production in viscous heavy oils found in unconsolidated ultimately develop a practical tool for sand management, field strata is highly beneficial in increasing production rates. In the data are considered to be vital. former case, well
completion strategies and production practices are implemented to reduce the incidence of deleterious solids Most published articles involve case history documentation influx: the goal is exclusion while maintaining acceptable and amelorative procedures, usually for sand exclusion, often production. In the latter case, practices are implemented to combined with a method of analysis (e.g.: Durrett et al., 1977; keep sand
flowing into the hole to maintain the enhanced Morita et al., 1987 ; Santarelli et al., 1991; Morita et al., 1991; Production (often by a factor of 10 or more): the goal is Weingarten and Perkins, 1992; Moricca et al., 1994b; Ramos et _ 70-1
 THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY PAPER 96-70

Sand Production Potential Near Inclined

Perforated Wellbores

y. Wang
Petro-Geotech Inc.
M.B. Dusseault
University of Waterloo

This paper is to be presented at the 47th Annual Technical Meeting of The Petroleum Society in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 10 - 12,
1996. Discussion of this paper is invited and may be presented at the meeting if filed in writing with the technical program chairman prior
to the conclusion of the meeting. This paper and any discussion filed will be considered for publication in elM journals. Publication rights
are reserved. This is a pre-print and is subject to correction.

Abstract maximum prodUction, along with sand management Aspects

Correct choice of perforation orientation in wells can either
reduce risk of sanding initiation, or increase the possibility of
massive sand production. This article presents a simplified
approach to this evaluation procedure, based on stresses induced
around perforation cavities in a cased wellbore. The effect of
perforation orientation is shown to be a first-order component;
therefore, along with other factors such as draw-down rate and
charge size and density, such a procedure should be
incorporated into sanding evaluation.
Introduction
Solids production is a negative aspect of high-rate oil or gas
prodnction from weak reservoir rocks. By contrast, massive
solids production in viscous heavy oils found in unconsolidated
strata is highly beneficial in increasing production rates. In the
former case, well completion strategies and production practices
are implemented to reduce the incidence of deleterious solids
influx: the goal is exclusion while maintaining acceptable
production. In the latter case, practices are implemented to
keep sand flowing into the hole to maintain the enhanced
production (often bY a factor of 10 or more): the goal is
of optimization and risk enter into both cases. To achieve an
economic completions strategy compatible with production
rates, one must understand the mechanisms involved, carty out
analyses which capture the key factors which contribute to
solids and fluids production, and come np with acceptable
engineering solutions.
Smith (1988) discussed possible mechanisms involved in
massive solids production, focusing on the fluid flow aspects.
Dusseault and Santarelli (1989) also addressed the mechanisms
involved in massive continuous solids production, focusing on
geomechanical aspects. This work has recently been
approximately quantified, based on the concept ()f stress- and
flow-induced liquefaction of the unconsolidated sand fabric
(Geilikman et al., 1994; 1995). To confirm these models and
ultimately develop a practical tool for sand management, field
data are considered to be vital.
Most published articles involve case history documentation
and ameliorative procedures, usually for sand exclusion, often
combined with a method of analysis (e.g.: Durrett et al., 1977;
Morita et al., 1987 ; Santarelli et al., 1991; Morita et al., 1991;
Weingarten and Perkins, 1992; Moricca et al., 1994b; Ramos et

70-1
aI., 1994). Limited experimental data are also available for all
types of solids production in order to quantitively define the
sand production processes (Tronvoll et al., 1992; Kocijrnan et
al., 1992; Tronvoll and Halleck, 1994; Yim et al., 1994). Yet
other studies involve only development of methods of analysis
to model sand production initiation. EratH and Risnes (1981)
proposed a quantitative isothermal criterion for solids
production initiation using a Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion and
a spherical cavity in an isotropic stress field. Similar approaches
for cylindrical cavities, intended for borehole stability (Wang
and Dusseanlt, 1991), apply the analysis for unconsolidated
sandstones into elastoplastic cases and non-isothermal
conditions characteristic of heavy oil reservoirs (Wang and
Dusseault, 1995; Wang, 1995). Weingarten and Perkins (1995)
extend similar approaches into gas production cases. All these
studies, however, are strictly limited to a 2-D vertical well case
subjected to a uniformly distributed stress. Various methods for
sand control are used once sand production initiation may be
detected.A large number of studies are related to procedures to
avoid or eliminate sand production (e.g.: Dees, 1992; Pardo and
Patrickis, 1992; Moricca et al., 1994a), or in the case of heavy
oil, to initiate and manage it (Dusseault et al., 1995).
Exclusion or control measures for solids production include
gravel packing, pre-packed screen installation, special small
aperture slotted or wire-wrapped liners, resin consolidation,
frac-and-pack with resin-coated sand tail-in, and so on. These
approaches are, however, largely ineffective in thermal
production, and invariably generate some loss of production
capacity. In conventional cases, sand production is linked to (1)
in situ stresses (intrinsic loading), (2) water ingress, (3)
perforation strategies, (4) workover practices, (5) the
mechanical behavior of the rock, (6) the cement adjacent to
formation particles including capillary pressure change, (7) the
relative permeability change due to pore-throat blockage and
pressure change, and most importantly (8) the magnitude and
rate of drawdown (hydrodynamic forces). In the following, some
of the above factors are incorporated into a model, focusing on
the issue of perforation orientation.
Scope of This Study
This study belongs to the category of analysis methods, and
was motivated by the continuing need for relatively simple
analysis approaches for stresses and strains near a perforation
opening. Morita et al. (1987) suggested that well inclination
and perforation geometry may affect sand production initiation,
a conjecture supported by some field observations (Kessler et
al., 1993). A simple model is proposed to determine the most
stable and least stable perforation orientations, given a fixed
borehole flnid density. These results can then be used to aid
decisions related to orientation and phasing of perforations in
horizontal or vertical wells, and by extrapolation, for inclined
wells. We limit our study to cases of formation destabilization,
70-2
and do not address gradient-induced fines migration in the
pores of an intact rock.
The design criterion is achieved by studying the induced
stresses near a small tunnel perforated perpendicular to the
casing in an inclined, cased hole. The three principal in situ
stresses are considered, and the medium is assumed to be
poroelastic. The local stress concentration is calculated by
superposing the stress concentration on the wellbore wall and a
secondary stress concentration due to the small tunnel (Figure
1). Two yield criteria are introduced, the Mohr-Coulomb (MC)
and the Drucker-Prager (DP), both applied just at the
perforation wall to assess whether yield is imminent. Thus, the
solutions provide information about when and where shear yield
is reached just at the perforation tunnel wall. This is valuable
because shear damage will degrade cementation, allowing loose
grains to be liberated from the sand matrix on the perforation
tunnel wall. Properly used, the method may become a primary
criterion for perforation tunnel stability analysis.
Massive sand production through exceeding of tensile
strength is also thought to initiate from perforations. Note that it
is generally believed that sand production initiates from the
perforation tip. Sand production, however, can be produced
elsewhere as long as loose sand exists and a critical flnid flow
rate is reached. We presume that tensile stress generation at the
tip is an appropriate secondary criterion for solids flow
initiation, because the three-dimensional convergent flow, at the
tip of the tunnel, concentrates the hydrodynamic drag force
leading to tensile spalling. Hence, a spherical cavity is
considered (the perforation tunnel tip is assumed to be a
hemisphere), subjected to hydrostatic loading, and sand flow is
presumed to initiate when the destabilizing effective radial
stress eqnals the tensile strength of the formation.
We note that, because of the mathematical difficulty involved
in generating analytical stress solutions near an inclined
wellbore subjected to a general anisotropic ambient stress field,
no such solutions seem to have been published. Also, stresses
involving plastic yielding or non-linear elastic deformations are
notoriously difficult to calculate, except for a hydrostatic stress
field (Detournay and Fairhurst, 1987), and even without the
additional complications of Darcy flow (poroelastic effect) and
Fourier heat transfer (thermoelastic effect).
Stress Analyses near a Perforation
Perforation tunnel
Consider a cylindrical cased wellbore with dip azimuth and
dip of u and ~ respectively, in an anisotropic principal stress
field, (J" (J H ' (J. , oriented normal and parallel to the earth' s